Ice cream cones have been made nestable, one within another, to enable them to be efficiently stored and packaged for ease of transportation. Packaging for nestable cones tends to either be a long package of a single column of nested cones, or a rectangular package of a plurality of columns of nestable cones positioned in rows with dividers therebetween. Once such package for a column of nestable cones may be found at U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,884 issued to Madson on Feb. 13, 1990. This patent is cited in applicant's prior existing patent for an ice cream cone package, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,146 issued Aug. 3, 1993. These patents disclose ice cream cone packages suitable for storing and transporting a nested column of ice cream cones in a cardboard container. The bottom end of a column of nested ice cream cones comes to a point. The packages disclosed in both of the prior patents disclose converging baffles in one and an upper end having a narrowed portion to symbolize the handle end of a baseball bat in the other. Both of these packages have been made out of cellulose or cardboard material. While baked goods used to be a locally made commodity, the global economy has provided for baked goods to be made and shipped over long distances.
With the advent of the global marketplace a need has developed for stronger packaging that can be used to more safely transport and store fragile ice cream cones across the country or around the world.
It is therefore an object of the invention, generally stated, to provide a new and improved packaging for nestable and stackable ice cream cones.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stronger less expensive package for ice cream cones that can withstand the rigors of cross country and global shipping.
A further object of the invention is to provide a improved ice cream cone package that has a useful life after the cones therein have been removed and consumed.